MECHANICS SOLUTIONS TO THE BUCKLING OF FLANGE ELEMENTS

Summer Break Research Project (2011-12) Student: Morgan Rendall Supervisor: Prof. Kim Rasmussen

THE PROJECT

Exploring the behaviour of flange elements of a member centrally loaded in compression. Began with the work of Stowell (1950), which applied to fixed-ended members and extended this to pin-ended members. Attempted to use the elliptic functions in Stowells and our research to explore the buckling of pinended concentrically loaded equal angles.

WAGNER (1936)

For a column under the simultaneous action of a compressive stress and a torque , Wagner found the differential equation of equilibrium to be, 3 3 =

Nowadays, is better known as . However, this only applies for infinitesimal twist rotations ().

STOWELL (1950)

Clamped (fixed-ended) cruciform columns concentrically loaded in compression only (i.e. = 0)

Doubly-symmetric section composed of four flange elements Twists, yet doesnt bend overall

Wagners equation is perfect except Stowell wanted to investigate finite .

THE EQUATION
3 2 2 3 + 15
2 3 2 , 15 3

=0

The extra term,

accounts for the

stretching actions due to twist.

The cubic non-linearity makes the equation extremely difficult to solve. Yet Stowell solved it!

THE SOLUTION

By considering the shear strain at the free edge of the hinge ( ) and using a modified coordinate = Stowell transformed the previous equation to, 2 8 3 2 + = 0 2 5

Then, with numerous substitutions, Stowell reduced the solution to the above to, 1 =
0

1 2 sin2

ELLIPTIC FUNCTIONS

In elliptic function notation,

=
0

1 2 sin2

= sin

Where is the elliptic sine function. The function has a parameter that varies from 0 to 1.

When = 2, the previous integral is referred to as the complete elliptic integral of the first kind and is denoted by .

PINNED CRUCIFORM - DERIVATION

The same enormous equations applies as only the boundary conditions have changed.

A pinned column is identical in behaviour to the centrehalf of a clamped column!

PINNED CRUCIFORM - SOLUTION

The solutions obtained were identical to those obtained by Stowell, except for a factor of 2 in the length term L. This is consistent with the observation of the similarities between pin-ended and fixed-ended columns.

THE PARAMETER -

All the solutions are dependent on this parameter, which represents the degree of buckling that has occurred.
= 0 when buckling commences 1 as deformations become infinite

REDUCED AXIAL RIGIDITY POST-BUCKLING

Pre-buckling, =

Post-buckling, = where is the post-buckling rigidity factor,

1 1 +

where is the strain due to twisting of the section.

REDUCED AXIAL RIGIDITY POST-BUCKLING

On evaluation and simplification, this becomes, 4 + 2 + 2 = 2 4 + 9 2 2 5 2 + 14 9 2

where is the complete elliptic integral of the second kind.

The expression is identical for the pinned and fixedended cases. As 1, 4 9.

REDUCED AXIAL RIGIDITY POST-BUCKLING

REDUCED AXIAL RIGIDITY POST-BUCKLING

PINNED VS FIXED-ENDED

For a given applied stress ,

The pin-ended column had greater shear strains, diminishing as buckling progressed. This was due to the lower critical strain for the pinned case. The pin-ended column had greater mid-length twist rotations. The difference was almost a constant 1/20th of a radian at higher stresses.

PINNED VS FIXED-ENDED

The pin-ended column had greater compressive strains at the flange hinge and lesser compressive strains at the free edge. The difference diminished to almost nothing as buckling progressed. The fixed-ended column experienced greater fractional shortening, with the difference increasing as the applied stress increased.

PIN-ENDED EQUAL ANGLES

PIN-ENDED EQUAL ANGLES

WHAT TO CONSIDER?

For a concentrically loaded equal angle, there will be twisting. As the twisting occurs, the longitudinal stresses across the width of the flanges redistributes, moving the effective centroid of the section. This induces a bending moment about the major axis. The twist also induces some minor axis bending.

THE SETUP

EQUATIONS
Majoraxis bending

1 2 + = 2

Minor-axis Bending = ( + )

Torsion

1 3 2 = 2 + 2

ATTEMPTS FOR A SOLUTION

By considering a column short enough that it essentially buckles by torsion only, it may be assumed that = 0. The equation determining is then identical to that seen previously and hence so also is the solution identical.

For major-axis bending, we have,

1 2 + = 2

WHERE THE PROJECT WAS LEFT OFF

Unfortunately, the previous equation couldnt be solved! Solving the homogeneous case is easy, but is a function of an elliptic sine. Despite this, there are other methods that may allow a solution.